backpack

American  

[bak-pak] / ˈbækˌpæk /

noun

1. a pack or knapsack, often of canvas or nylon, to be carried on one's back, sometimes supported on a lightweight metal frame strapped to the body.

2. a piece of equipment designed to be used while being carried on the back.

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verb (used without object)

1. to go on a hike, using a backpack.

   We went backpacking in the Adirondacks.

verb (used with object)

1. to place or carry in a backpack or on one's back.

backpack British  

/ ˈbækˌpæk /

noun

1. a rucksack or knapsack

2. a pack carried on the back of an astronaut, containing oxygen cylinders, essential supplies, etc

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verb

1. (intr) to travel about or go hiking with a backpack

2. (tr) to transport (food or equipment) by backpack

Other Word Forms

• backpacker
  noun
• backpacking
  noun

Etymology

Origin of backpack

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; back ¹ + pack ¹

Explanation

A backpack is a bag you wear on your back, with straps over your shoulders. Lots of kids carry their books to school in a backpack. A hiker might carry a heavy backpack for miles, with food and a folded tent inside, while a kindergartner's backpack will be much smaller, and may have a cartoon character on it. You can also call this portable kind of bag a rucksack. If you hike with a backpack, you go backpacking, and you can call yourself a backpacker. The word's been around since the earliest 20th century.

Example Sentences

Omar Al-Nouri returned to the school with his daughter, Maya, to pick up her backpack.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

The backpack he was carrying was searched without a warrant, justifying the exclusion of the evidence first recovered from it, Carro found.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

Judge Gregory Carro in Manhattan state court wrote that the initial search of the backpack at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania didn’t meet the legal requirements for conducting a search without a warrant.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

This year’s five-piece capsule collection includes Prada’s iconic backpack, available in the brand’s core black but also a vibrant tropical palette.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

A couple of times, I’d noticed him napping, his glasses askew from using his backpack as a pillow.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• knapsack